Queen Once, Queen Forever ON-HOLD
by Kaizawa Raiko
Summary: Every great king needs a great queen by his side, even someone as great as King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot. -Seven Deadly Sins Fanfiction- Nanatsu no Taizai belongs to Nakaba-san. NOTE: May contain SPOILERS for Chapter 119 and onwards.
1. Chapter 1

Author: Huzzah! The full Chapter One for the story! 95% of this is actually 'Let's Get Married!' as I thought it would be a cute one-shot between Arthur and Gwen, but this story would be delving deeper into Gwen's character, and what might be her purpose and possible connection to the Seven Deadly Sins. Who knows, she might end up being one of the Ten Commandments. Or Merlin's arch enemy, Madam Mim (from the Arthurian legend). Or just a simple queen-to-be.

I do not own Nanatsu no Taizai or any of the characters from the anime/manga. Kudos to Nakaba-san! *two thumbs up*

* * *

The kingdom of Camelot sprawled before a pair of blue eyes, as people of all ranks and life status ventured down the streets and lived another peaceful day. Guinevere pressed a palm against the glass of the window, barely sweeping away the velvet fabric of the curtain that was on the way of the view, as she lifted her head to gaze at the tall walls of the kingdom's borders, attempting to see the vast lands past those tall structures. Green fields spread throughout to the horizon, decorated with blooming flowers that could not be distinguished from such a distance. Despite the new king's young age, he had proven himself worthy of the position, slowly bringing back the kingdom's lost glory after the death of Uther Pendragon.

Everything was back to the way it was. Liones, along with the rest of Britannia, was saved from the possibility of being conquered and ruled by a corrupt Great Holy Knight as Hendrickson, who was said to have plotted the death of one of Liones' Great Holy Knight, and was the person behind the framing of the Seven Deadly Sins for such crime. Peace and order had returned to the entire land. Words of the Seven Deadly Sins' great acts of good spread within only days, and from fugitives, they became heroes. Perhaps they weren't seven brutal criminals. They risked their lives for the kingdom despite of the sin blamed on them.

"I'm glad you're awake," a cheerful voice echoed throughout the rather silent room, and Guinevere, who had been staring blankly at the large glass window before her, finally shifted her attention towards the door, where the voice came from.

"Ah, Lord Arthur," replied the young lady, a smile appearing on her lips.

The king was dressed in a light armor - a platinum chest plate adorning his torso, with the symbol of a dragon, the very symbol of the kingdom, gauntlets on his both hands and knee plates hugging the top end of his boots. On his waist was a sword Guinevere was so familiar with: Excalibur, the sword he himself pulled from the stone it long nestled on. Other than those armors, he wore a simple brown shirt that had been torn off its sleeves, and pants that hugged his lower figure. "Breakfast is to be served soon. Will you be my consort to the banquet room?" He even bowed, that same grin never leaving his face.

"As lively as ever, Lord Arthur," she replied, leaving the picturesque view from the window and taking her steps towards the man. "However, shouldn't you get dressed in your royal robes before we proceed to the banquet room? It would be uncomfortable as it would be unfitting to have breakfast in an armor."

He flashed her a grin, before doing as what she had suggested. Although, once he was finished taking off those metal scraps and was about to run over to the banquet room, Arthur found Guinevere standing on the same spot where he had left her. "Were you waiting for me?"

"You asked me to be your consort, and I haven't really given an answer, have I?" Which eventually led Arthur to offer a hand, and she took it, before they walked side by side to where breakfast was served.

"I haven't seen Merlin since yesterday, Lord Arthur," said Guinevere, as they ate. "It's... surprising." Indeed it was, as the sorceress was the king's advisor, and was considered as the greatest magician in all of Britannia.

"She said she'll be away for a while," the king answered. "Probably to reunite with the other Seven Deadly Sins."

That she didn't understand though. With Liones saved and Hendrickson gone for good, why would Merlin still need to accompany the Sins, the greatest knights of Liones, if here is Arthur, a king who is in need of a person to help him at such a young age? Unless she wished to stop being of service to Camelot and instead regroup with the Sins and be free beings.

Arthur paused at his meal and studied the princess for a while, noticing her sudden gloom upon hearing the news. Gently, he placed his hand above hers and grinned, "Are you worried that I might do stupid things while my royal advisor and magician is away?" He wished to add up something like he had her anyway but her next words cause him to freeze.

"Lord Arthur, a great terror is to befall upon Camelot."

She shared the same worry as he had, his fingers turning cold upon having the statement register on his head. "W-What...? What exactly does it mean?"

Guinevere shrugged and took back her hand. "I... I'm afraid I have not even the slightest idea of the vision I had, my lord. That's why I wish to have a word with Merlin about it." As a new king, she knew how much of a hurdle this is to Arthur, as that such events are large-scale problems involving the entire kingdom. It was her turn to envelope his sweating hand in hers, and smiled, "I'll be right here, Lord Arthur."

Yesterday had been a terrible day for Guinevere. She didn't know why exactly but a heavy weight had been residing in her chest since a certain time yesterday. Although she worries for Cameliard as well, the vision she had last night clearly meant one thing: Camelot is at great risk.

_Father, I am extremely bothered by a terrible dream. In my dream, ten demons rose from the ground and tore apart the map of Camelot. They were laughing like the evil beasts they were, and afterwards continued to tear Britannia piece by piece. It's absolutely terrifying that I couldn't help but worry for both Camelot and our kingdom. Please, be careful. _

_Love, Guinevere_

Carefully, she rolled the piece of paper to a scroll, handing it over to Great Holy Knight Lancelot along with the order that it be taken to King Leodegrance of Cameliard. The knight immediately complied, along with a promise that the king of said kingdom will receive the letter as soon as possible.

The rest of the day, Arthur was restless. He was conferring with the Knights of the Round Table, his own group of the best Holy Knights of the kingdom. They discussed of the acts to take once an attack happens, or any being from somewhere decides to simply crash down and say hello. At that moment, Guinevere regretted the decision of telling him the premonition. It obviously stressed the king out, which bothered to an immeasurable extent. She should have discussed it with the sins instead, seeing that revealing the problem to him without Merlin by his side was indeed one thing he was never used to.

A voice cut through her train of thoughts and she looked up to see the young man. "Gwen, what are you doing here?" He had caught her standing outside the door of the meeting room, and as the knights descended from the room, Guinevere knew the discussion was already over. She waved at the Holy Knights that bowed respect before finally taking their leave, and Arthur helped the princess into the room.

"I was... worried for you, my lord," she admitted. "Please do not stress yourself out. The kingdom would not want you getting sick, Your Majesty."

He took her hand and pressed it lightly against his cheek. "As long as you are here to take care of me, I will be fine, Guinevere." And he kissed her hand before releasing it, still smiling brightly. How this demeanor of his could hide the obvious tired look from his face, Guinevere didn't now. Arthur was always cheerful, even after what cruelty happened to him in the past. "I'm free now. Do you wish to take a run around the kingdom?" His smile became a mischievous grin, and she immediately knew what his words meant. It was a literal run. The one thing they never fail to do whenever his royal duties do not take much of his time.

They chased each other in the kingdom like little kids, checking out the stalls and having fun conversations with his subjects. Each was happy to express how much they appreciate the young king's efforts in taking care of the kingdom, and even her support to a kingdom that was foreign to her. Guinevere watched as Arthur wholeheartedly spoke to his people, as if he wasn't king at all, but one of them. He was not a king who looked so low at his subjects. But as she was sitting on a barrel while watching, a glowing sphere appeared before her and suddenly popped, revealing a rolled piece of paper that landed on her lap. Knowing perfectly who would be so great to send a message through magic instead of the usual means, she wondered what could be written in that paper. Carefully, she unrolled it and silently read the message.

_We're coming over to Camelot~_

_Merlin_

"What is that?" She was surprised to find him bending down to her eye level, that infamous grin of his never leaving his face. "Is that from Merlin?" She nodded and smiled, handing the piece of paper over and allowing him to read the message himself.

* * *

Upon their return to the castle, both of them moved to change to a better set of clothes. Arthur walked out of his room wearing a blue robe of silk lined with gold and having a belt looped around his waist. The crest of Camelot was embroidered on the right chest portion of his clothing. His pants were of a lighter shade, tucked inside brown boots that reached below his knee. A long white scarf-cape brushed against the floor as he walked. Guinevere, on the other hand, was dressed in a gown of yellow, with the embroidery of Cameliard's crest, roses present on her head to serve as accessories instead of a bright and glistening tiara. They had agreed to meet the Seven Deadly Sins on the conference hall.

But as Arthur escorted her to said room, a question slipped past his lips out of blue. "Gwen... When I turn seventeen, let's get married right away."

"W-Wait- Right away-?!" A rosy coloration spread across her cheeks and she stared at the young king in surprise.

He flashed her a grin. "Indeed! King Leodegrance has already given his approval, and even sent the Round Table as dowry. We wouldn't be having any trouble, would we?"

"N-No, Your Majesty, but..." Even though her father had agreed at such arrangement without even any second thought, planning a wedding nearly a year ahead is simply too much, even for a king. But Guinevere could not find the proper words to reason out, as she fumbled over various words, none befitting to be used to answer Arthur at that moment.

"Right away then!" His grin never faded. "And then we could go being less awkward with each other and sleeping in one bed-"

"My Lord!" She cried as they entered the hall. "The entire castle could hear you!"

Arthur glanced at the maids filed on the sides, and gestured at them to leave the room at once. "Well, it is what will happen-"

"- I am pretty much knowledgeable of that, My lord, but don't you think you are a bit too advanced to think of such? There are still things that could happen in the remaining months that should be given more attention to."

"Am I?" The king thought for a while, a frown now adorning his face which quickly twisted to a smile of hope. "But we **will** get married right away, wouldn't we? Just imagine Camelot and Cameliard celebrating in pure joy!"

_Oh dear, _poor Guinevere thought to herself. _Once he starts it, he never stops._ With a sigh, she told him, "Your Majesty, there is no way a wedding could be done in such thing as 'right away.' There are preparations to be made, like the measuring for the wedding clothes, and notifying the people, informing the church, preparing the reception venue, and -"

The young princess never had the chance to finish her rather long statement as a pair of lips crashed against hers. It was only an 'umpf!' that she could manage, unable to do anything at all with Arthur grabbing both her wrists. She only found herself dwelling into the sensation until the sound of doors being kicked open and a familiar voice came to her ears: "Oh, are we interrupting something?"

As quick as he had kissed her, Arthur pulled back, faking a small cough and taking a seat on one end of the table. Guinevere, on the other hand, was too red to even say a single word. From the door, there came the image of Merlin, Meliodas, Diane, Princess Elizabeth of Liones, and a person Guinevere had never heard nor seen. "My, my. It appears we really are, Captain," said Merlin, pulling the chair closest to Arthur on one side of the table and taking a seat. "Were you in the midst of discussing something important?"

"We were talking about what we'll do after getting married."

"Oh," the sorceress replied, her lips pursing to a teasing smirk she threw over to Guinevere, who was obviously smoking after an embarrassing scene their visitors had caught her in. "How wonderful."

Meliodas, who had sat a few seats from Merlin, finally spoke, "It really would have been better if you dressed in armor than robes. A demon could come attacking Camelot any minute now." Just as when he had said that, an eruption exploded somewhere south of the kingdom, causing all of them to rise from their seats and see what was that. Smoke was rising from the ground, but was too thick to help them recognize the summoned invader. Meliodas and Merlin rushed out of the castle, with Diane and Elizabeth with them. "Gwen, stay here, where it's safe," was what Arthur told her before leaving for his armor.

Guinevere felt so helpless as she could only watch from the balcony, seeing the large creature being fought. Her every attempt of leaving the castle was foiled by Sir Lancelot or any of the Knights of Round. Explosions occurred anywhere close by, and the more of them she sees, the more the worry in her chest grows. From that distance, she knew that the being was a demon, and could destroy Camelot if not for the help of the Seven Deadly Sins. However, from the distance, she could not figure out the conditions of those fighting the demon. It was Meliodas for sure, and it was a given that it was a skilled fighter, but still... That worry disappeared in thin air though, after seeing that the monster was destroyed. But she was soon struck by a heavy feeling, an overwhelming amount of power registering to her senses. Quickly, she left the balcony.

The monster was only an appetizer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author:** So, this is the rewritten Chapter 02 of the fanfiction, after I had myself updated of the recent NNT Chapter, and hell, Galan is absolutely terrifying. Now I'm not sure if I still want to see the powers of Estarossa and Zeldris.

**BUT!** Let me just express how devastated I am upon reading the latest chapter because the Sins were seriously brutally "killed" and Merlin was turned to stone even if she was only trying to save everyone. (Escanor, Merlin is now a damsel in deep distress! Save her!) It really broke my kokoro.

Anyway, let's start reading. Nanatsu no Taizai is owned by Nakaba-san!

* * *

It was the Ten Commandments, demons who take orders directly from the Demon King. Handpicked by the king himself, that would only mean that they are the strongest of the Demon Clan, and would be way too much even for the Seven Deadly Sins, as it was only through the Goddess Clan's help that they were sealed for so long. Until now.

"Ten Commandments' Galan." Meliodas' green eyes narrowed. He stood protectively before Elizabeth, obviously unpleased with Camelot's surprise visitor. Lostvayne was on his hand, held up in preparation for any attack.

"Subcategory power level is Zero!" Announced Hawk, after laughing about how the Balor's Eye was broken.

Galan's head scanned the city before him, waving a hand while saying: "Human cities are so crowded. I want some space, if you may." And the entire city was swept away to one side that even King Arthur was left shocked. But Galan himself didn't seem pleased with just the city in pieces. "They said castles are the symbol of a kingdom's power for the humans," the demon said, making everyone turn their attention to the castle. And the speeding spear heading directly to it.

A pair of purple eyes widened, never straying from the castle in the distance. "Merlin! D-do something! Guinevere is in there!" Arthur cried. But Merlin knew that even if she does successfully whip a spell, it wouldn't be enough to save the structure, much less the people inside it. The power of the attack was beyond any of the Sins' account, and it was too fast to counter. Galan was laughing in the background as Arthur could only watch at what might be the beginning of Camelot's downfall.

All of them could only watch as the dangerous weapon flew closer and closer to the castle, it's glow of dark aura visible even from the distance. But during those times, Arthur had only thought of the young princess, whom he had left in the castle because of the belief that it is safer in there. If he knew this was to come, then he shouldn't have left her in the first place! The city had been destroyed, and if the castle crumbles down along with her, then-

"Captain..." Diane mumbled, purple eyes staring at the dark light that came to a stop. No crumblings were heard, and neither a tower nor a single brick collapsed.

"Merlin..." Meliodas called out. "Do you feel it...?"

"This great amount of overflowing power pouring from the castle?" The Boar's Sin answered. "Yes, I do."

Galan hissed in return, probably recognizing the amount of power emerging from the structure. It wasn't of any equality to the Ten Commandments, but too much to be coming from another Deadly Sin. He eyed the spear he had thrown, wondering why it had stopped from moving. Where was the 'BOOM!'?

"A-Ah! The spear is flying back to us!" Arthur exclaimed, pointing at the dark light heading towards their direction. Surprisingly, it flew past them, and instead created a cut on the demon's armor. It didn't do much but make the demon take a few steps back though.

[**A/N**: "Dark light", pft. XD I dunno what else to call it. Purplish energy? XD HALP. ]

All of them stared in a mixture of surprise and confusion, until Meliodas said with a firm voice, "It's her."

"Definitely her," Merlin agreed. "Your thoughts, Diane?"

The female giant nodded with a grin. "She's back."

"Who...?" Both Elizabeth and Arthur questioned. Who could this mysterious person be that can counter the attack of a demon with over 26, 000 power level? From the direction of the spear that wounded the demon, another being emerged, surrounded in grey light. Elizabeth pulled herself closer to Meliodas whilst Arthur raised his sword. Though both were surprised when it landed before them, black feathered wings mightily spread. It reminded Elizabeth of how Hendrickson, in his demon form, had also gained a pair of wings, his as dark as night as this one. Arthur noticed the blonde hair that reached the girl's mid-back, and that she was dressed in an armor that had the dragon symbol of Camelot on the gauntlets. On her hand were black flames in the form of a scythe.

"Yo." Meliodas greeted with a small wave. "Long time no see~"

"Yeah..." The being replied, which caused Arthur's eyes to widen in surprise. The voice was familiar - so familiar. But how- How-

"Gwen..." He could only mumble in a state of shock. How could Guinevere - the princess everyone saw as a gentle, calm and collected person - be the creature before him. However, the image his own eyes was seeing could not be an illusion, could it? This blonde hair, this voice, this stature, and the armor from Camelot. His thoughts shrunk back at his head when Hawk spoke: "Y-Your power level is over 5, 000!"

"You..." Galan hissed. "Nephalem... You've always been a hindrance. Aren't you supposed to be **dead**?"

She finally glanced at them, confirming what Arthur had been doubting. It was indeed Guinevere of Cameliard, same hair, same eyes. The only different thing was the pair of black wings adorning her back, and the gentle look on her face disappearing, only to be replaced by a fierce look of a woman ready for battle. "Meliodas, Merlin -"

"You are not taking him all alone, are you?" asked the sorceress. "He's a Ten Commandment after all. Our power levels do not even reach the half of his. As sad as it may seem, even you do not stand a chance."

Guinevere's lips curved up to smirk at Galan. "_No, of course not_, is what you expected me to say, right? I _can't_ take him all by myself, I know, but letting him scar the capital of Camelot and get away with it is far too unforgivable." Her eyes never strayed from the demon, who was on his way to pick up his spear that had pierced the ground. With his gigantic size, taking his spear would not take too long.

"You speak too highly of yourself," laughed Galan. He held onto his spear, the wound from earlier completely gone. It appears like the sins have met an enemy too much for even any of them to handle.

A rather strong blow headed for them from above. Meliodas was quick to use Full Counter on that one with Lostvayne, which caused a wide explosion, almost sending all of them off their feet. "Despite his power level at 0," began Merlin, "he could still summon a strong attack that even Captain could barely counter."

"Then... How strong would they be once they recovered their powers?" asked Arthur.

"Tsk, they could tear off Britannia to pieces without even breaking a sweat," answered Guinevere, her scythe of black flames materializing into a real one, being wielded with the right hand.

The demon pointed the end of his spear at Gwen, who did not even flinch, only narrowing her eyes up at him. "They have prophecied that Nephalems are a clan of forbidden creatures that could grow stronger than goddesses or demons if they will."

A brow raised. "If you knew that, why are you still pointing your spear at me?"

"I've always wanted to know if it's true."

_So then, instant victory is ours if Gwen is on our side, _thought Arthur. But he wasn't quite right with that. _If Nephalems truly are stronger than thought, why won't she finish this battle once and for all? Why is she hesitating to eradicate this demon already?_

"Merlin, look after them, would you?" said she, gesturing at Elizabeth and Arthur.

"You really don't have to tell me that." And both were enclosed in a Perfect Cube, which left Guinevere relieved more than ever, as she sprang up to dodge the spear Galan had just swung. Meliodas jumped forward and bruised the demon's head with his sword, but ended up being wounded by the spear's blade. Another two appeared by his foot, but was cut to half by the same weapon. His appearance and death was repeated over and over again, most of the wounded clones slowly disintegrating into thin air.

Finally, after one of the Captain's tricks failed, Galan got hold of the sin with his hand. Elizabeth banged her fists against the cube's walls, which did no effect at all. Gwen took the oportunity to swing her scythe, which sent a surge of purple blade-like light towards the demon. At some instances, an attack like that could send someone wounded at the very least, but for Galan, it barely caused a scratch. "Why are you even in fear of releasing your powers?" The demon asked, the hint of mockery present in his voice.

That was the same question in Arthur's head, along a whole lot of other questions.

Probably in a mixture of anger and fear that Meliodas might end up being killed, Diane made her charge, with Merlin summoning spells to return her to her original size and teleport Gideon to her hands. But it was useless as the first attempts, for the hammer only bounced back, hitting the giant in the forehead.

Everyone was desperate and at the same time, knowledgeable that they stand no chance against the demon. Even Guinevere could witness the expression of annoyance present on the sorceress' face, as she snapped. And Galan disappeared from their sight.

"He escaped my magic," said Merlin, eyes narrowinng.

"That's only a fraction of their true strength. If they get their lost powers returned, Britannia shall meet its end."

Although, Guinevere's eyebrows furrowed at the fact that the magic signature did not even disappear. If Galan had really escaped Merlin's spell radius, shouldn't she feel his magic fading? Unless...

Arthur's voice echoed in her head like that of a broken recorder, as she gave the sorceress another glance. Right that very second, various things raced in her head. Jumping in would not make it work, but sending another attack wouldn't do any good either. At the same time, she knew herself that if Merlin takes the blow, she would end up damaged - probably done for. There was also no way to explain why her hands were shaking, and her heart was thumping twice faster than when Arthur had kissed her earlier today.

WAIT! She ain't got time for that!

While her knees terribly shook, Slader jumped in between Merlin and Galan's approaching blow, using a move called _Overpower_. But in Guinevere's eyes, the technique itself seemed to have backfired, as the Holy Knight fell after the demon easily swiped him off like a little fly. Merlin stared up at Galan, with her confident posture, as she spoke of a deal.

"Merlin, wait, no-!"

"**You** have lied, haven't you?"

_Hair with the color of blackberry, lips with the color of wildberry..._

_Pardon, Escanor, but all those lovely colors had just become like that of stone._

Everyone stared wide-eyed as every color on the sorceress turned grey, and even the waves of her hair became ragged and rough. Merlin ceased from moving even only a muscle, and the expression of disbelief remained ingrained on her face. The _Truth_ of the Ten Commandments, who could turn liars to stone in an instant, was Galan. Guinevere could feel her heart breaking a million times more as she stared at the frozen sorceress, the scythe in her hand dissolving to black flames once more before taking the form of a sword.

A sword Arthur was so familiar with. With the faint puple glow of the Perfect Cube, he almost mistook it as Excalibur, but as it burned with black flames, he immediately knew it wasn't. And it wasn't the only thing he noticed. Her hair was turning black. Black. Like the color of her wings. The color of the fire that engulfed her weapon.

And together with Meliodas, she charged.

"Whoa! Meliodas' power level is greatly increasing! It's over 4, 000 now!" Hawk announced from inside his cube, marveling at the sudden increase in the Sin's level of power. "B-But the princess' has doubled! It's- It's a freaking 10, 000!"

Although a couple of attacks had managed to make the demon wobble backwards, all efforts weren't enough, as Galan stood as sturdy and strong as a mighty mountain, waving his spear with ease and piercing enemies that dared come close. Even Meliodas was caught by the blade, after he had released an enormous amount of dark power, and a swing of the weapon sent Guinevere motionless down on the ground.

"Death befalls those who oppose the Ten Commandments." Galan's thundering voice remained ingrained in Arthur's head as he could only watch the demon's blade puncture those that weren't guarded by the Perfect Cube: Meliodas, Diane, Slader, and even Merlin. As Guinevere's turn came, he eventually broke into tears. The city was in shreds. Merlin was turned to stone and crushed. All happened while he, the king, hid inside a magical protective cube. And right now, his queen was about to be murdered before his eyes. Still, he couldn't do anything about it.

"What...?" Came Galan's perplexed tone as he raised his weapon once more. But as he swung the blade towards the motionless body of the wounded nephalem, it didn't penetrate, much less bore a hole on the armor. "The Stone of Giramphiel. Then, nephalem, you owe your life to a mere magic item." And his attention spun towards Arthur and Elizabeth. He struck, but was surprised that his own attack bounced back on him. It was then that realization struck him as his attack did. "Even in your weakest states, you chose to save these humans with your powers. But if this is the Perfect Cube of the Demon Clan, then there is no way that it could be broken easily, even by me." With a farewell, he left.

Tears streamed down Elizabeth's cheeks as she stared at what was left of the battle. "L-Lord Arthur... What... What can we do?"

"Nothing..." Answered a voice that was not Arthur's. "The prophecy will fulfill itself."

"Gwen..." mumbled Arthur. "What... What happened to your hair...?"

* * *

**Author: **Is it funny that I read some stuff about the minor characters of the Arthurian legend and one of them was King Ban who married a woman named Elaine? And they had a son named Lancelot, who had an affair with Queen Guinevere. O_O


	3. Chapter 3

**Author: **As I was writing this, I suddenly forgot what to write. ._. Okay, I remember it now. :D

I do not own Nanatsu no Taizai or any of its characters. Kudos to Nakaba-san!

* * *

_"Your Majesty! Cameliard is under the attack of Norgales! The King of Cameliard had appealed for your help!" Without any second thoughts, the new king of Camelot rushed into battle. With Excalibur strapped in his waist, he succored Cameliard with ease, slaying King Ryons of Norgales. The battle left Leodegrance terribly wounded, and Arthur himself escorted him to the castle to be nursed back to health._

_Leodegrance had sworn loyalty to Uther Pendragon, Arthur's father and former King of Camelot, and even to him, as the new king, which is why not even once did he think twice of coming to his aid. _

_It was then that the young king first laid his eyes on the blooming garden in the ward, decorated with roses and lilies. It was beautiful, far from his palace in Camelot who was only beginning to rise from its dark times. Servants scampered at the arrival of the two kings, taking the wounded king and helping him to his room. "The King shall be fine," a voice behind him say. It was Merlin, the sorceress who had helped him since he had been crowned king. However, the king's pair of purple eyes were focused somewhere else; past those lines of red roses, a figure in blue stood, with silken blonde locks adorning her figure, held loosely to one side by a small bundle of roses as headdress. Arthur only snapped back to reality upon that figure disappearing from his sight and into the palace. In only a small amount of time, he found himself inside the palace as well, eyes searching for the same figure he had seen._

_"Is there something wrong, Arthur?" asked Merlin as she trailed behind him, wondering what could have gotten into his head. It was time to return to Camelot, but Arthur had made up his mind. Never would he leave the lands of Cameliard lest he takes even only that fair maiden's name. _

_It left him bothered, having only seen her from a distance, and he doubted fate would ever give him a chance to meet her once again if he leave now. _

_"I am deeply indebted to you," another voice said, and as Arthur turned his head towards the direction of said voice, he found King Leodegrance, standing mighty and healthy, before him. "If it weren't to your help, Cameliard would have been lost to that prideful Ryons." But then again, he was lost in a dreamy world, his eyes falling on the young lass that stood on the side of the king. She had the face like that of an angel; her eyes were a gleaming pair of lovely blue hues that were, sadly, focused on the pages of a book._

_The king of Cameliard interrupted him with a fake cough, and whether or not he noticed how the younger king gazed at the maiden by his side, Arthur was never sure, and he was enveloped in embarrassment that he stood straight, gathering himself to answer. "A-Ah... O-Of course, Your Majesty. We are allies, after all." Still, his gaze never left the young woman, and oh, how he wished she would glance at his direction even only for once. He wished to know her name, even only that would keep his young heart satisfied._

_It was as if Leodegrance had witnessed the desire in Arthur's eyes, that he took the book being read by the lass and spoke, "Guinevere, would you ever be so kind to serve our guests tea in the Great Hall?" It was the first that Arthur had seen her lips stretch to a small smile, as she gave a bow of respect to the two kings and left._

_Guinevere. The young man's heart was then filled with joy that he couldn't tug back the smile on his lips, watching her as she once again disappeared from his sight, this time, with an assurance of her return._

_And so, in the Great Hall, they discussed things, varying greatly from these and those. He learned that Guinevere was the king's only daughter and heir, after the Queen died early._

_But with a series of quick events, Arthur began to wonder how it ended up being only the two of them, taking a stroll in the palace garden. She was soft-spoken, yet a fair smile never left her lips, which only made poor Arthur's heart melting at every passing minute. "It must have been wonderful to rule your own kingdom at such a young age," said she._

_"Not quite," answered he. "Camelot had been in the brink of darkness after the death of King Uther, and bringing it back to its former glory is something that is not easy at all."_

_She seemed not to believe in his words, and she replied, "But Camelot had been making a name in Britannia. Even father was impressed at such how a king as young as Your Majesty is could do that in a short amount of time."_

_The other's lips heaved a sigh. "Though it appears my efforts are not enough, as I could not please a fair maiden as you are." She stopped from walking, and that was only when Arthur had realized what exactly did he just say."_

_"To pull a sword that even the strongest of Holy Knights could not move... I would let you know that it was truly impressive." His heart fluttered like that of butterflies upon hearing those words, and a proposal quickly ran over his head. But as he was to discuss said proposal to the king, Merlin came by, saying that it'd be best if they no longer delay their return to Camelot. After all, he had kingly duties to attend to._

_Upon his return to Camelot, her angelic image remained ingrained on his head all throughout the day. And so, he told Merlin, who had but noticed the strange acts of the young king, "I wish to marry Princess Guinevere." To which she replied, "Then why did you not tell the king?"_

_Wanting nothing but his wish be fulfilled, he sent forth three knights to inform Leodegrance of Arthur's wish. But it was Leodegrance himself who seem to distrust the king of Camelot, despite the latter's help in battle. Arthur couldn't blame him though, for doubting Arthur's birth._

_Just as when he was losing hope, the knights returned with a good news of Leodegrance's approval, and Guinevere's arrival to Camelot._

_But there was a time on that day of joy that Arthur did not know of. In the Solar, Merlin spoke, "I honestly did not expect seeing you after such a long time."_

_Guinevere replied with an equal smile, "It was thanks to you that I lived this long."_

But right now, things seemed to have made an entire 180-degree turn. Arthur knew it ddid, but somehow, it appears it didn't. Guinevere was still Guinevere, dressed in gowns of silk and having the same smile on her face.

That's right. Gwen is Gwen.

* * *

**Author**: Is it bad that I actually forgot why I was writing this fanfic in the first place? O_O

Ah, but setting that aside, this chapter ended up more like a flashback on how they met and I promise on the next chapters, I WOULD really delve into Gwen's character as a nephalem and other stuff. TT_TT

Why do I end up writing more romance than I should? And this one kinda went out of the way of Nanatsu no Taizai. :D

Again, again, I do not own Nanatsu no Taizai or any of the characters from the manga/anime.


	4. Random Inserts 01

**AUTHOR's RANDOM INSERTS**

It is when the author ends up writing something stupid but doesn't want to include it in the storyline.

**Like a fanfiction of a fanfiction. **No, wait, I wrote this myself, so wouldn't it be an author-fiction? o_O

* * *

**Author:** This is what I've been writing while I had no internet. :D While I could not read the updates of Nanatsu no Taizai. While I can't research. TT_TT

Excuse the fangirling. :D No hate, guys. xD

Nanatsu no Taizai belongs to Nakaba-san!

* * *

Arthur Pendragon missed his queen; the queen who could be the embodiment of beauty itself without exerting much effort. The queen who would always be adorned by gown of silk, and roses in her hair. But right at this moment, he could only wistfully look back at those memories, as he watched Guinevere from the balcony. She wore shirt, vest and tie, along with a skirt that reached just past her knee and combat boots. Although she was beautiful in her own way, the king could not help but heave a sigh, watching her engage in a small training with the Great Holy Knight Sir Lancelot. She was, he must say, pretty skilled with the swords herself, and Arthur never quite expected it. Perhaps, they could allow some time to pass by training with each other?

Still dressed in his gold armor, and his usual sword on his waist, he left the balcony and descended to the ward. Although Guinevere would still smile at him and endearingly call his name like she did before, he still felt as if he had lost the gentle and sweet Guinevere after she had revealed that she was a nephalem, a half-goddess, half-demon creature. "Your Majesty..." was the greeting he received upon his arrival at the ward, Lancelot kneeling to the ground and Guinevere running to the king's side.

"You should give worrying a rest sometimes, Lord Arthur," said the princess. "It really would not be helpful for you."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

At least, he was able to spend time with her alone whenever they take a round in the kingdom. He certainly enjoyed hearing her stories of how things were back then, when she first arrived in this world, and how different things now were. The king was even more delighted to hear of her plans in the future and that he was a part of her future. As they neared the western area of the kingdom, their stroll came to a stop. Arthur wondered why though. There weren't much people around, and the entire place was silent. The skies were obviously clear, and the wind was calm. "Gwen, is something wrong?"

Just as when he had finished the question, a comet came crashing right before them, and smoke covered the area. Arthur held onto Guinevere to make sure she was by his side, and boy, he sure was glad that she was. As the smoke began to thin down, a voice came, "I heard Lilith was here."

_Shit_, cursed Guinevere, unsheathing her sword. How long had she hoped for this day not to come? Yet it did, in Camelot, before King Arthur Pendragon. When the smoke cleared completely, a familiar figure rose from the ground, and by her side, Arthur mumbled, "He... He looks like... like Sir Meliodas... Ah, no! He looks like the one in his wanted poster!"

The man looked around, hand on his waist. "Maah~ Lilith can't be in this place."

"Estarossa," Guinevere hissed. "... of the Ten Commandments."

The male's jet black eyes narrowed at her direction, but he said nothing.

"He's one of the Ten Commandments?" asked Arthur in disbelief.

"You must have been the king of this kingdom that Galan spoke of," said Estarossa, which only made Guinevere hold tighter onto the hilt of her sword. "However, I came not to pick a fight, I'm afraid. Where is Lilith?"

Arthur raised his own sword. "I do not know of the person you speak of! Leave Camelot at once!" Although Guinevere could recognize the obvious nervousness in his voice, he couldn't be blamed. This is a Ten Commandment they are dealing with. Estarossa sprinted forward to them, much to their surprise, but was immediately countered, causing him to retreat back. Arthur, on the other hand, stumbled backwards, losing grip of his weapon.

"You heard His Majesty," Guinevere's voice dropped to a dangerous tone, as she held Coreiseuse up in defense. "Leave Camelot at once." Arthur was surprised by her sudden change of appearance; her hair had become blac from blonde, and her eyes were now a shade of red. "I'm not going anywhere but here, Estarossa."

The demon smirked. "Lilith. It saddens and hurts me to know that you did not miss me even only for a bit, and now you stand up, with your weapon raised, defending a mere human. For three hundred years, that is what became of you?"

"If my memory serves me right, it was the Ten Commandments who were my executioners," replied Guinevere. "I have no reason to join your force, much less miss any of you."

"Your words created a wound deep in my heart -"

"You don't have a heart."

"Rude. I have two."

"Which both are simply nothing but decorations."

The battle ensued, and every attack left Arthur marveling at the sight. He had never witnessed Guinevere in a true battle. Never had she exerted this much power in her training with the Knights of the Round Table, even if it was all of them against her. Merlin had said before how the power of the goddesses and the demons were immeasurable. If so, how far can a mixture of both go?

_"Take a river for example," said the sorceress. "Of course, to us who could not see the source of the water, we will take it as normal flow, and would think nothing of it other than that being a river, just like every river in Britannia. However, what if the source of that river is actually a large reservoir? And the only thing that holds together all those water is a thick wall?" She even used magic to demonstrate the image better, much to the king's amazement. "Now, now, imagine a crack had appeared on the wall, and it slowly tore the barrier apart, causing all those water to gush down to the river. And us, who never knew of the river's source, would be surprised by the large amount of flowing water that we could only evacuate to avoid possible death. The water could never be countered, Arthur. It would flow endlessly, caring less if it destroys or gives life to everything around it. That is a nephalem's true power measure."_

Arthur only snapped back to reality upon seeing Guinevere thrown backwards with such force that created a deep cut on the ground. "Gwen!" He cried out, eyes falling upon Estarossa, who was not even wounded. He was stuck there as the demon made a charge for him, and he could only shut his eyes as he waited for the blow to come.

But it didn't.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an almost transparent cube that glowed faint blue. The Perfect Cube. And Guinevere was before him, crossing swords with Estarossa. "Don't pick on Arthur."

(It wasn't the appropriate time to say this, but that was the first time Gwen had ever called him by his name. It would always be Your Majesty or Lord Arthur. Right now, it was simply Arthur, and he **loved** her even more.)

Estarossa stepped back, and Gwen lowered her sword. But Arthur remained inside the cube. "Can I not really change your mind, Lilith?" asked the demon. "Meliodas became a bad influence on you, didn't he? That brother of mine."

_Brother...?_

"I told you, didn't I? I would fight alongside the Seven Deadly Sins and stop you. Now, if I was the reason for you coming over to Camelot, I suggest you take your leave."

In simply a blink of an eye, Arthur found Estarossa holding Guinevere in his arms, one hand of his grabbing her wrist that held Coreiseuse, while the other hand cupped her cheek. He was hovering over her, their faces too close for the king's liking. "Someday, Lilith," he whispered. "I'll make you change your mind."

**[A/N: **I want to write there _**"I'll really make you mine." **_instead but decided against it since it was a BanxElaine original.**]**

The same red eyes, the same black hair. Even the sweet scent of roses had not changed for three hundred years. From her cheek, his hand ghosted over her hair and he gently ran his fingers on the strands. She hadn't changed at all. "Estarossa," came her hoarse, longing voice. Her hand finally released the sword, and tears found their way to stream down her cheeks. With a small smile, the demon used his fingers to wipe away the tears and pressed his lips against hers. It wasn't only for a mere second, but a brief moment, enough for his heart - his dark demon heart - to ache the same way it did more than three thousand years ago.

And he left.

The Perfect Cube's glow grew even more faint before finally vanishing, allowing Arthur to take his steps towards Guinevere, who had fallen to her knees, sobbing uncontrolled. Despite the fact that he wished to ask what he just saw, he instead stretched out a hand to her and helped her stand up. "It's alright," was all he could say, lifting his hands to wipe away her tears, but was no longer able to do it, as she threw his arms around him. "I'm sorry, Arthur..."

* * *

It was then that he learned of her past.

Before the Demon Clan discovered her true nature, she was acquainted to the Ten Commandments. But her relationship with the demon Estarossa had become far more than acquaintances, until she admitted that it was something else. But all those happened before the Ten Commandments were tasked to execute the nephalem.

After three hundred years, things had become different. Completely different.

"So, Sir Meliodas' brothers are members of the Ten Commandments?" asked Arthur, but it was obvious that it wasn't the topic he wished to talk about.

"Zeldris and... Estarossa, yes," Guinevere answered. "But please, do not put Meliodas in line with his brothers. He is completely different. And about what you saw..."

"Do you still love him?"

A faint smile crossed her lips and she stood up from her seat, loosely embracing the king from behind. "If I still do, I wouldn't have agreed in marrying you and waited instead. How could I still feel love towards the person who sought for my death?" She had a point, and Arthur felt relieved somehow.

"Guinevere..." He turned his head to the side for a bit, placing his hands over hers. "I _really, really, really _love you."

Her face flushed red almost immediately, that she buried it on his shoulder, tightening her hold around him. It made Arthur chuckle and he said, "Hey, hey, now. Why are you getting all flushed? I swear, I really love you."

"I-It's not that," she mumbled against the fabric of his scarf. "How... How could you say those words with such casualness?"

"Because I'm not afraid to tell you how much you mean to me."

* * *

Arthur woke up in the midst of the night. With all the ruckus happening around, it was impossible to have a good night sleep without the worry of some terrible monster attacking the kingdom. Although Guinevere had reminded him countless times not to give everything much thought, this was still his kingdom, and as king, it was his duty to keep his subjects safe. The blanket covering him slowly slid down to his waist as he sat up, and he was about to stood, until his eyes wandered over to a foreign figure present on his bed. All the drowsiness he had disappeared and his eyes widened at that very moment, and as much as he wished to scream, he refused to, for he might awaken the entire castle.

"G-Guinevere," he mumbled. "W-What... What is she doing here... on my bed?!"

She was fast asleep, dressed in a sleeping gown, and cuddling a pillow.

But he couldn't hide the happiness in his heart now, and he lifted a hand, gently brushing the back of it on her cheek. Could it be that she thought he was lonely and worried? "Gwen... How very thoughtful of you..." Unfortunately, that stirred the young princess from her sleep, and her eyes fluttered open. Arthur tensed. She sat up and laid her head on his shoulder with a relaxed sigh.

"The night is a bit cold, isn't it?" She said, tangling her fingers with his. The boy nodded in agreement.

"My dear, I was wondering... what were you... doing in my bed..."

"Oh." It seemed as though she was surprised that she wasn't in her own bed. "O-Oh!" Which caused her to quickly stand up. "P-Pardon, Arthur! I-I must've- I must've-" But Arthur pulled her back to his arms before she could make a run for it and held her tightly. "A-Arthur?"

"It's fine, really..." He whispered to her ear. "It's fine."

**[A/N: **Now, we know, Gwen is a sleepwalker. And probably a bit of a dork too.**]**

The rest of the night passed with the two of them casually talking, and they were both thankful that no one else in the palace had been awaken by their noise. They only stopped upon noticing the sky slowly brightening, as the sun peeked at them from Arthur's bedroom window. "Do you wish to have breakast in the banquet hall, or would you rather share a breakfast in bed with me?"

"The second one sounds wonderful at the moment."

Immediately, Arthur called for the castle steward, who was of course surprised to see them in one bed. The king told him his wish, and the other replied that breakfast shall be served as soon as possible.

"Have you heard? The king and the princess slept in one bed last night!"

"Is this true? Shall we expect a grand marriage closing by?"

"A queen! And a baby!"

"Oh, I hope it will be a young princess!"

"I wish it'd be a prince!"

"Twins - a courageous prince and a beautiful princess!"

The steward returned along with two maids carrying a silver platter. "We have salmon and salad served for you, Your Majesties, and of course, for the dessert, are fine slices of strawberry cake your Royal Highness could share." With a thanks, Arthur dismissed the three.

* * *

**Author: **I did say excuse the fangirling, didn't I? So, since there hadn't been much information of Estarossa's character, most details were pretty much based on theories and speculations read on blogs and everywhere else on the internet.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author**: I'm out of ideas, so advance apologies if this chapter is as crappy as it could get. Also, some parts of the story were based from the original Arthurian legend, seeing that Nanatsu no Taizai itself was loosely based from it. :D It was actually surprising that the character Meliodas (in the legends) was actually the second king of Lyonesse, and Ban was a king. Merlin is a well, magician, and Escanor was a member of the Knights of the Round Table. Of course Arthur was a king.

I do not own Nanatsu no Taizai or any of its characters.

* * *

"Gwen..." mumbled Arthur. "What... What happened to your hair...?"

Puzzled at the question, Guinevere ran a hand on her hair and gave it a glance, but didn't seem surprised at the obvious change. The golden locks of hair she had became pure black, leaving not even a single strand blonde. "Rather than my hair, shouldn't you worry more about the others? And the amount of Holy Knights the kingdom had just lost?"

"I know but..." With him sealed inside a Perfect Cube, there is nothing much he could do, unless someone erases the spell like Merlin did back at Liones. But Merlin... His eyes wandered over to the statue of the sorceress that had crumbled to pieces.

Although, there was something that confused her more than anything else. If Merlin had been crushed by Galan's blade, why is her magic still at work? But then again, it was thanks to this confusing magic spell that Arthur and Elizabeth were saved from certain death. As for her, it was the Stone of Giramphiel that Merlin had given her before.

They owe their lives to the greatest sorceress in all of Britannia.

Arthur slammed his fist against the cube, calling for the princess' attention. "Can't you break us out of here?"

She pressed her palm against the cube's transparent walls, along with a small sigh. It was then that Arthur noticed her eyes weren't blue anymore, but a shade of velvet red, similar to the color of the curtains that adorned her room, the Solar. Her armor was covered in abrasions, and some metal parts were missing, revealing torn parts of her clothing. "This is the Perfect Cube. Even the attack of Galan had been repelled by this technique, and I'm afraid that the only way I know of to erase this cube is Merlin's _Absolute Cancel._" Just as when she wished to throw her arms around him and comfort him, a stupid cube had to keep them apart.

"I've been wondering, Princess Guinevere." Her eyes darted over to the talking pig, who was enclosed in another cube with Princess Elizabeth. "How come your power level is still 15, 263? If I remember correctly, it was only around 5, 000 a while ago. How could someone's power level skyrocket in only a small amount of time?"

"According to Merlin, power levels are only rough estimates of one's overall capabilities," she explained. "The values can change, depending on the current situation, and an individual's physical and mental condition and overall skill."

This time, Elizabeth raised a question. "Does that mean the Seven Deadly Sins' power levels could raise to a number equal to the Ten Commandments'?"

But despite the fact she had just said, Guinevere shrugged. "I can't tell. My memory of the Seven Deadly Sins from way back is still quite... fuzzy. Moving on, we have to do something about those cubes, and..." A pair of red eyes shifted towards their fallen comrades, and her lips pursed to a straight line, hands falling to her sides. "...them."

The sound of a sinister laugh wavered through the air, and all eyes turned to the direction where a smoke emerged.

"Gowther...?!"

The Goat's Sin of Lust lifted an arm and made a peace sign, but was not at all impressive with the devious look on his eyes. "Hallo, Lady Lilith~ Such a lovely show we had, wasn't it?" Arthur and Elizabeth shifted their glances from the Sin and to Guinevere, who seem to be having a little mental conversation in their heads.

Finally, the princess parted her smirking lips to speak, "Indeed. It was so realistic I almost fell for it." Which only made Arthur to grow more confused than he already was. Gowther mumbled a small spell, something he didn't quite comprehend, and Meliodas slowly rose from the ground, bathing in his own blood. Diane and Slader followed soon after. The scene filled his heart with so much hope that he turned to the direction where Merlin's statue had crumbled. Not even a single pebble moved.

He waited. If Sir Gowther's powers had saved Sir Meliodas and the others, then it would Merlin too! He pressed his face closer to the walls of the cube, awaiting a miracle.

"Should I poke her with a stick?" Meliodas asked, holding Lostvayne up. The question, however, caused him to get hit by a piece of rock Guinevere had thrown.

When Arthur was beginning to sink in the brinks of hopelessness and despair, there came a small crumbling sound, and piece by piece, the rocks levitated. They moved to form the image of the sorceress, as if undoing the strike Galan had done. In a short time, the statue of Merlin the sorceress was up again.

All of them fell silent, as if expecting something else to happen.

Gowther put his arm down, indicating that he was done.

"I'm afraid **that **can't be undone..." Guinevere was very knowledgeable of that. After all, Gowther's illusion trick had only activated after Merlin was turned to stone. It could not undo the terrible fate brought forth by the demon. A solemn expression was drawn all over her face, as she turned her sight to Arthur and Elizabeth. Her eyes narrowed, and for a second, the king thought she had a Beast mode of her own. Like Guinevere was going to pull out that Excalibur-like sword and effortlessly destroy all of them.

Eventually, the glow of the cube began to disappear, and Arthur found himself capable of throwing his arms around his fiancee. Elizabeth, on the other hand, moved to the wounded Meliodas and trap him in her arms. "How...? I thought you can't-"

"I didn't say I can't," she replied. "I said that Merlin's _Absolute Cancel_ can do the trick."

Diane was still heavily wounded, sitting on the ground and watching everyone else. "What do we do now, Captain?"

"Get some time to rest," answered Gwen. "All of you are badly hurt." _You as well, _the king thought. As odd as it may have seem, Arthur noticed her hair color changing slowly once more. "I myself need to... get some... rest." She held onto the side of her head and let out a small groan. Arthur asked if she was alright, but received an answer that obviously contradicted what he was seeing. After all, she was also covered in plenty of wounds. "Shall we resume to the castle, Your Majesty...?" Her voice faded off as she finished the question, suddenly dropping motionless into the young king's arms.

* * *

It was morning once again when Guinevere awoke, the bright sun rays almost blinding her sight as they seeped through the gaps in the curtains of her bedroom window. Some parts of her body still ache, but she pushed herself to her feet and rushed towards the window. On the other side of the glass, the sight of people rebuilding their houses registered in her eyes. They carried lumber and wood from place to place, some repaired the damage brought by the demon Galan.

Looking back at herself; a portion of her arm was wrapped in bandages, and her faint reflection at the mirror showed a patch on her cheek and more bandages around her head. It was like an adrenaline rush; during the battle, anger was pushing her forward, and there was not even a slight bit of pain she could feel. It was only now that the battle was over that her body throbbed and ached so much.

Despite the pain coursing through her body, she left her room and roamed the castle, after learning that Arthur had been worried sick for the kingdom, and that he barely took some rest after the battle. Gently and slowly, she pushed open the door of the meeting hall slowly, and peeked, finding him seated on one end of the table. His eyes were droopy, and it was obvious that the young lad was making attempts to keep himself awake. Smiling to herself, the princess stepped into the room. "I believe I need not to ask if you had slept well."

A sheepish smile was the chosen response. "How do you feel now?"

"I feel better, Your Majesty. But, shouldn't you go ahead and rest? Seems to me that you would not last until the afternoon."

His cheeks puffed a bit like that of a little kid. "What if something happens while I'm asleep?" Guinevere could not place herself to blame him though. Britannia is in danger, and Camelot was the first to witness a demon's true power. If she was positioned in the king's shoes, she probably would be as restless as he is. However, worrying would not help in solving the problem before them. A small sigh slipped past the blonde's lips. "Everything will be alright, Lord Arthur. Camelot will be safe." Although it didn't sound very convincing at the moment.

To at least ease him, Guinevere accompanied the young king to his room upon his request, and remained before the door until she was certain he had dozed off to regain his strength.

"Gather the Sins to the meeting hall."

* * *

**Author**: Basically, this had been an assumption chapter, since Chapter 122 onward really hadn't been written when I worked on this. Okay, Chapter 122 was but it wasn't related to the frustrating end of Chapter 121.

I can't believe I lost all the motivation to write after playing Pokemon and building Big Ben out of folded printed papers. TT_TT


	6. Chapter 5

**Author:** I almost forgot about my pending stories here. XD I've been playing Aura Kingdom. LOL.

* * *

_"Melmel!"_

It's been so long. Guinevere had already expected that her reunion with the Seven Deadly Sins would be in the middle of a chaos, but not something as big and terrible as the Ten Commandments. There had been... additions to the group though. "Princess Elizabeth of Liones," she said. "I suppose you know perfectly of the war you are throwing yourself into?"

The white-haired royalty answered a firm 'Yes', which made a small smile tug on the nephalem's lips. Maybe she really does. After all, from what she had heard from the rumour spreading all over the kingdom, Elizabeth was bestowed with the blessings of the Goddess Clan.

"It's really nice to see you again," beamed Diane, her face drawn with her usual bright smile. "Uhm... So what do we get to call you now?"

"Gwen," was the princess' answer, as she flashed the confused Elizabeth a small smile. Ten years ago, before the Seven Deadly Sins were called criminals by the people of Britannia, they were a fine group. And they were _eight_. But Guinevere's identity as a nephalem forced her to become a hidden character, for the safety of her own comrades, as she was but a young girl who could not do much to defend herself. Among the royal family, only the king of Liones knew of her existence as a Deadly Sin.

She was Lilith, the eighth deadly sin. The Raven's Sin of Despair.

"_Is everyone going away today?"_

_Meliodas flashed her the usual grin, as he placed a hand atop her head. "Baltra wanted us to go see the Druids, but it'll be quick so you don't have to worry." She appreciated the demon's kindness, and his willingness to look after a cursed creature as she was. She knew, however, that there's no way to hide forever. "Lili should be a good girl until we come back, okay?"_

_The girl nodded and brightly smiled, watching all seven of them leave the room with the large doors closed and secured. It wasn't too long though when it once again opened, revealing the Boar's Sin of Gluttony, Merlin. There was a rather unusual silence between the two of them, a streak of worry visible on Merlin's face as Lilith stared at her in a mix of curiosity and confusion. "I'm afraid you have to leave the palace before we return."_

"_Merlin...?" _

"_The king foresaw a terrible event to occur in Liones, and I believe you should not be a part of it. It would be best to depart the castle and stay somewhere safer and far from here."_

_But where...? Although she was thankful of the sorceress' concern, she could not simply leave the Deadly Sins, and most of all travel all alone. Her magical presence would stick out like a sore thumb! As if able to read her thoughts, Merlin walked over to the teary-eyed princess and handed her a small blue pearl. "This is the Stone of Giramphiel," she said. "It will protect you and mask your magic."_

_Lilith had heard of such before. It was a magical item created by the goddess Giramphiel to protect a knight she deemed worthy. It can withstand any attack, regardless of strength and power, and because its magic came from a goddess, it deflects any demon attacks, which made Merlin certain that it will protect Lilith from the only race she has no power against, the Demon Clan. "But I need to say goodbye to Melmel and the others!"_

_The other said no word, and simply placed a hand atop her head, just like what Meliodas had done a while ago. Slowly, the vision of Merlin became like that of a blur, becoming less and less distinguishable, until it was all black. _

Merlin was right. If she had been involved in the framing of the Seven Deadly Sins, and was discovered by all of Britannia, she probably wouldn't have lived this long, nor be adopted by King Leodegrance of Cameliard, and be engaged to Arthur as she is now. She wouldn't be here with the Seven Deadly Sins, and her involvement in the Second Holy War will never occur.

"I'm sure they are finding a way to replenish their magic," said Meliodas, which cut through her train of thoughts. "We really should stop them before they fully recover."

As much as she wished to agree with the Dragon's Sin's plan, all of them in the room knew more than anyone else that in the state all of them are in, no one stands a chance against even only a singe Commandment. "Before that, I believe you should prioritize finding Escanor and the others, and finding a way to return Merlin from being a stone. With the Seven Deadly Sins gathered, maybe... just maybe, we could take them down." It didn't sound very convincing, and Guinevere was not sorry that her statement was like that.

"Will Lady Lilith be coming with us then?" asked Gowther, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"No," was her firm answer. "I can't promise my participation on the first one. With Merlin's condition, Arthur would need someone else to stay by his side and at least keep his worry-level in check. Humans... are very frail and fragile creatures. About Merlin, on the other hand..." Her words came to a pause, and her head hung low, as if having second thoughts whether to continue or not with what she was saying. "... In Britannia, there is a place called Avalon, the home to the Lady of the Lake. One could not reach the place by foot, as it is located past the waters, for it is the home to all magic; impervious to any power from the five clans. In other words, Avalon is Elysium. It was there that Arthur's sword, the Excalibur, was created."

Elizabeth raised a question. "How could it be of help to Lady Merlin?"

"If Avalon can somehow repel magic from the five clans, the Lady of the Lake there might be able to find a way to undo the demon's curse, is that it?" On Meliodas' eyes glinted a bit of hope. From what he had heard, this Avalon had never been reached by humans, and they **aren't** humans. With Hawk's mother, there is a chance.

"None knows the true nature of the Lady of the Lake though. Whether she would be helpful or not, I could not assure you," replied Guinevere, feeling all of them slowly sinking into the hole of defeat. "But yes, there is a chance she could do something about it."

This time, Diane asked, "How did you know all of that, Gwen?"

When she answered, it was as if she was the doll and not Gowther. "I don't know." Even Guinevere doesn't know the answer herself. The facts were just... there. Setting that aside, having the Sins travel for Avalon would eat too much of their time, and by the moment they had arrived, the Ten Commandments were probably unstoppable. "I'll have the kingdom's knights take the job. After all, Merlin is part of Camelot, and it was to save the kingdom that she was turned to stone. You have to proceed in finding Escanor and reuniting with Ban and King."

"The Holy Knights are unequal to the task," said Gowther, which made Guinevere thankful that Slader was not present in the room, for the Goat's Lust's words were, in all honesty, offending.

"Do not look down on Holy Knights just because you are a Deadly Sin. Great Holy Knight Lancelot grew up in Avalon and was nursed by the Lady of the Lake herself. Along with the others, they could carry out the task."

From there, she knew the discussion was over, and once Meliodas was convinced that he is healthy enough to return to excursion, they would depart Camelot. The next probably chance to reunite with all the Seven Deadly Sins would be in the battlefield, in a war whether Britannia is to preserve or raze. With that, the Sins left the room, leaving only Meliodas and Guinevere in, still seated on their respective places. "I know you want to ask me the same question I want to ask you," he said.

"There's no need to ask _that_ question. The only right way to deal with it is to fight them, because... We are... on the different ends of this line. To stand on the same end would equal this country's destruction, and I would not make any difference to the Ten Commandments if I pick that choice," she replied, her fists clenched. "Besides, I have no reason to weigh my decision regarding this."

"You're right," was the blonde's reply. She is in the different situation. Although, he didn't need to think through in deciding either. Britannia should not fall in the hands of the Demon King.

"When it dons to the battle field, Melmel," she called. "... No matter what state of mind I'm in, I will stand by Arthur and the Seven Deadly Sins."

The Dragon's Sin smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

* * *

He understood perfectly that he could not be selfish and push his wish on her, When it comes to her, he loses all authority as a king. She was in her usual place in the library, reading a book, just like she did when they first met. Silently sneaking into the room, Arthur wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his head on her shoulder. This caused the princess to straighten up and cock her head to the side. "A-Arthur...?"

"Gwen..." He mumbled against the fabric of her dress. "I wish you the best of luck."

He had to convince himself that he can run the kingdom without both Merlin and Guinevere. Not sure how, but it will write itself.

"Thank you," she replied, adding up to the heaviness in his chest. She's leaving after all. Maybe he could at least ask for a day they could spend together, because in this war they are in, seeing each other again has no assurance. A pair of purple eyes closed, and he could only indulged himself in the sweet scent of roses from her perfume. "I'll do my best, King Arthur..."

He frowned, tightening his grip around her waist and pulling her even closer to him.

"... in helping you run this kingdom."

"P-Pardon...?"

"You fool," she chuckled, lolling her head back to rest on his shoulder, and running her fingers on his orange hair. Arthur is just so adorable at times. "I'm not leaving Camelot. Stop being a dramatic performer in a theater."

His ears reddened. "I-I-I was just- I was just-" Completely embarrassed by what he just did, he simply buried his heating face on the crook of her neck.

"Y-Your Majesty!" She gasped, attempting to push on his forehead. "It- It tickles! H-Hey!" Her own face was beginning to be covered in a rosy blush, as she struggled against his surprisingly steel grip.

"Only if you promise to spend the entire day with me tomorrow," he said with his cheeks pouted. "Less time to deal with royal matters, seeing as there is nothing much to deal with other than the repairs of the kingdom. Speaking of theaters, isn't there a small play scheduled for tomorrow? Let's watch it together." Diversity was one of the things Merlin had taught him, and that is the best option he could pick to save him from further embarrassment.

"Changing the topic," noted Guinevere. "But sure."

* * *

**A/N:**

*Lancelot's real name is _Lancelot du Lac_, which meant _Lancelot of the Lake_.

*What mysterious cruelty in the human soul, to have invented despair as a sin! Like the seven deadly sins, despair is a mythical state. It has no quantifiable existence; it is merely part of an allegorical world view, yet no less lethal for that. Unlike other sins, however, despair is by tradition the sole sin that cannot be forgiven; it is the conviction that one is damned absolutely, thus a repudiation of the Christian Saviour and a challenge to God's infinite capacity for forgiveness. The sins for which one may be forgiven - pride, anger, lust, sloth, avarice, gluttony, envy - are all firmly attached to the objects of this world, but despair seems to bleed out beyond the confines of the immediate ego-centered self and to relate to no desire, to no thing. The alleged sinner has detached himself even from the possibility of sin, and this the Catholic Church, as the self-appointed voice of God on earth, cannot allow.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author**: Chapter 125 is out!  
Also, chapters from me might come scarce from now on since the laptop was taken away and updating stories through phone ain't easy at all.  
**SPOILER ALERT** for NNT Chapter 125!

* * *

"This is truly an inconvenience."

"But at least we have you, and that's one less thing Arthur should worry about."

"I don't sense my body anywhere close, Lili. Where did you take it?"

As the castle steward opened the door for Arthur, the king was surprised to be taken to the Solar, the princess' room. He found her seated on the bed, with some of the Seven Deadly Sins present in the room and a familiar blue ball floating about.

"I apologize for calling you at such an early hour, Your Majesty," Gwen began. "But there is a surprise awaiting you."

He wondered what she could have meant by that. Everything in the room is normal, and they still are wrapped in bandages. "It's alright..." Even though everyone is alright now, he still could not help but think of the fact that he was not able to be of any help in protecting his kingdom, his people and Merlin.

"Do not look so grim, Arthur. If the people of Camelot sees you with that expression, even they would fall into despair."

"That voice-!" He turned his attention to the blue crystal orb floating in the air. It was obviously the source of the voice - Merlin's voice! "B-But how-?"

The orb answered, "I placed my soul in here before Galan could completely petrify me. This is my sacred treasure, Morning Star Aldan." The young king burst into tears, extremely overjoyed that somehow, Merlin is doing well like everyone else. "As I was asking, where had my body gone off to?"

"Avalon," answered Meliodas who stood beside Princess Elizabeth.

The orb fell into silence before drifting back to Guinevere. "You know Avalon would not do much, don't you? It's magic is only for itself. Why would you ask the Holy Knights to risk their lives like that?" It sounded like she was scolding her, despite the sorceress' voice retaining its usual tone.

Finally, blue eyes met the orb. "It is not Avalon, but the Lady of the Lake."  
"Even so, only the power of the goddesses could remove the curse brought forth by Galan." Everyone's eyes fell on Elizabeth, who was revealed to be an apostle of said clan. "What could the Lady of the Lake possibly do?"

No one made a noise, awaiting the nephalem's response. "Do you not know? The Lady of the Lake is a goddess. Ah, no. She was a goddess." Her words were firm and certain, leaving Merlin to only heave a sigh. Well, they still should give it a shot then, seeing that Guinevere puts so much trust in said being. Although, very little is known regarding this Lady of the Lake, and Merlin never fancied her.

"Well then," said the Captain. "Now that we have Merlin back, we can reconstruct our battle plan."

"Indeed," replied the orb. "Over the past three thousand years, we had grown weak, just because the demons were sealed inside the Coffin of Eternal Darkness. Britannia had grown too peaceful, as we never truly anticipated that this day was to come. Thus, there is only one sure way to overpower the Ten Commandments. We all must grow stronger."

Meliodas noted, "You make it sound too easy."

Arthur figured that Merlin would be making her usual smirking face at the moment. "Sir Meliodas is right, Merlin. It is easier said than done." He took his seat beside Guinevere on her bed, keeping his eyes on the Morning Star.

"Let us begin with calculating the current power levels of the Seven Deadly Sins; the Captain: 3370, Diane: 3250, Gowther: 3100, mine: 4710, King: 4190 and Ban: 3220; it would reach an amount of 21, 840. Adding up the power levels of the Holy Knights, in Liones specifically, which is 130, 000, we would have a total of around 150, 000," said Merlin. "But considering Galan's power level is 26, 000, and assuming the rest of the Commandments share the same amount, they would have 260, 000 in all in a state that they have not fully regained their powers."

"So if they replenish what was lost..."

"... They would be over 300, 000, excluding the albions they could summon," Meliodas finished Slader's statement. "We are only about half of their level, that is why we should erase the difference. And if all still lacks..." He turned to Guinevere, a bright and confident grin on the Sin's face. "... Gwen could fill in the gap."

"Ah yeah," agreed Hawk. "The princess' power level still hadn't been added to that. It was 15, 263, right?"

"Barely a finger," said Meliodas and Merlin in unison.

"What...?"

But instead of discussing it any further, the Boar's Gluttony went on, "Princess Guinevere could fill in the gap, of course, if this war happened a few years back. However, we could not rely on a nephalem's powers and wait until this war is over. Princess Elizabeth, Arthur, the awakening of your powers will be crucial in this battle."

Arthur's expression grew even more grim. "But... I already failed you. You were... expecting so much from me, but as a king... as your student... I wasn't able to do much. No, I wasn't able to do anything at all but watch. How could I be of any help?"

But Elizabeth was different. Determination blazed in her eyes as the white-haired princess spoke, "I will do it, Lady Merlin. No matter what it takes, I will do the best I can to help the Seven Deadly Sins!" Guinevere greatly admired the princess' determination, and she wished Elizabeth would share Arthur some.

"One last thing." This time, it was Guinevere who spoke, her hands gripping Arthur's tightly. "There is one more trump card we must not forget. It is another ace crucial in this war."

"Who...?" Elizabeth, Slader, Hawk and Arthur raised the question, shifting their attention from Guinevere to Merlin.

"The Lion's Sin of Pride... Escanor."

* * *

After the battle against Galan, the extremely cheery king of Camelot had disappeared in a blink of an eye. Having lost really affected the young Pendragon greatly.  
"I'm really glad that Merlin is somehow alright," he told her. "But I let her down, Gwen..."

Humans truly are frail creatures. "This really took a toll on you. But think of it this way, Your Majesty. Despite your claims that you failed her, Merlin still puts so much trust in you, and she counts on your undiscovered strength to aid us in this war. Rather than being depressed over something so simple, shouldn't you keep your head up and find out how strong you truly are?"

A teary pair of purple eyes looked at the princess. "B-But... What if I don't turn out to be as strong as what everyone thought I am? I would just disappoint Merlin again."

On that, a small chuckle slip past her lips. "You are so worried about disappointing Merlin that I feel jealous..."

"Please don't make it into an issue like that."

Guinevere shrugged and managed a small smile. "There are times when we feel so useless, when we wish we could let out these powers sealed within. The people we care for get hurt for the sake of protecting us, just because we are helpless and weak. But Merlin believes in you, so you should believe in yourself too. Baltra did say you were to do great things in the future, right, King Arthur Pendragon?" She was thankful it did cheer him up, even only for a tad bit.

"By the way, can I start addressing you as Queen Guinevere Pendragon from now on?"

"Could you refrain from bringing up inappropriate things during inappropriate moments, Your Majesty?"

"There's another thing, Gwen..." It appeared like he had dropped the comedic act, his eyes gleaming with curiousity. "Merlin had mentioned that if this war occured a few years back, you would not have a problem filling in the difference between the power levels of the two sides. What exactly... does she mean?"

"I don't... wish to talk about it." It was a distant memory. A very distant and painful memory. "Maybe some other time though, I'll tell you. Although it really is impossible for one person to provide 150, 000 level of power. Melmel was just being foolish as usual."

"So, what is a nephalem's true power level?" Ah, Arthur is such an inquisitive youth and she found it interesting.

Guinevere simply smiled at him, leaning forward to him. Arthur's eyes went shut as he expected even only a single kiss, but was surprised when her breath ghosted over his ear, her voice low in the form of a whisper.

"There are things better kept unknown, my love."

* * *

**Author**: So, QUEEN ONCE, QUEEN FOREVER has 971 views, 7 favorites, 9 followers and 12 reviews. :D I really wanna thank those who favorite and follow this because I never expected it to go this far. XD Big thanks to those who views this too! But you know, reviews make authors pumped up in writing updates. *nudge nudge* Raiko-chan would appreciate having people leave reviews for Gwen and Arthur's story. 3

I totally ship them too. I might also start accepting one-shot requests, maybe? uu

Also, Raiko-chan is extremely frustrated that Arthur Pendragon doesn't appear of the character list here in FF.


	8. Chapter 7

**Author:** I hate to admit this but... I actually forgot about this story until a friend of mine asked me if I had read the NNT update. XD Sorry.

* * *

"Lady Guinevere is such a wonderful person," noted Elizabeth, admiration flashing in her eyes as she watched said princess wield a sword in the training ground. "She is very good with that sword, is she not?"

Meliodas, who sat beside the princess of Liones, agreed with a nod. "She has gotten better, I'd say." Just like King, Merlin and Gowther, Guinevere had kept safe the weapon given to her by the king of Liones. Although it was but an ordinary sword, nothing like their sacred treasures, she still had decided to keep the weapon instead of exchanging it for a better one. Perhaps it had a sentimental value, like the weapon he received from Liz.

"I want to be of help to you, Lord Meliodas," Elizabeth continued. "I want to become strong like Lady Guinevere..."

"Don't."

The princess glanced at the Sin in question, and she saw a serious expression drawn over his face. It only lasted for a mere second though, and she lost sight of it as Meliodas looked at her with his usual grin, "Because she's a sucker for Merlin's words. She'd believe and do anything, even to unhealthy extents, as long as it's from Merlin. She would obey without any question." Meliodas could very well remember how they used to fool around with her by inventing the game Merlin says, just for giggles. It was like that until Diane and Merlin took pity of her and abolished the game. "Which reminds me, how are Diane and King holding up?" King had arrived from wherever he went to see Diane, only to be greeted by an amnesiac giantess.

Both their attention spun back to the training ground after hearing Arthur yelp and fall back with a thud. His cross-hilted sword flew from his grip, and the pointed end of the blonde princess' sword was only a few inches from his throat. "Wow," the young boy grinned. "I didn't know you were good at this."

Guinevere pulled her weapon back and stretched out her free hand to the king. "Don't make a scene, King Arthur." Too late, for as soon as the boy had made a grab for her hand, he pulled her down on the ground with him. She yelped, losing her balance completely and falling into his arms, with Arthur's grinning face before her.

"Oops."

The only thing she did was pay that grin with a smile, before she flicked his forehead and stood up with a huff. Not that she hated what he did, but a time like this is not for fooling around. This time, Guinevere refused to offer him her hand, so Arthur stood up on his own and picked up his sword, slipping the weapon back to its sheathe. "Don't get mad at me, Gwen!"

"Tch. I'm going to see Diane and the others."

* * *

Merlin's soul was still inside her own sacred treasure, Morning Star Aldan, where Guinevere found comfort conversing with whenever she needs to. "Lilith..." Blue eyes glanced at the orb with a faint smile now on the princess' lips. "Mere swordfighting wouldn't be of much help to the Seven Deadly Sins."

"I never said I'm doing this for the Sins." The brush gently made its way through her silken blonde locks, as the princess brought all strands in front, loosely tying them together. Guinevere had figured that Merlin would probably be raising her brow at her. "I have to grow stronger too. Using magic and powers in battle is like controlling a wild beast caught in the hunt: the larger the beast you wish to control, the harder it would be. One must be strong enough to overpower it, so that it would not bring forth unwanted casualty." Carefully, she arranged the roses to her hair, setting them in their proper places. "I learned, Merlin."

Aldan glowed a faint blue, but no words were heard.

"Making the same mistake would be crucial."

For that one moment, the usual gleam of her blue eyes had vanished in thin air. Her lips pursed to a straight line, as she stood up from her seat before the mirror. One final glance at her reflection, and she took glimpse of the orb glowing deep blue, slowly becoming a silhoutte. When the glow died out, Merlin's image became clear. It was an illusion, the sorceress explained, and a better way to have conversations with everyone. "Regarding Diane, I think it would be best if we let her be. The blow to her head had caused memory loss, you know that."

"I know," the princess sighed. She lifted her head and parted her lips to say something else, but was interrupted with the doors being forced open. "D-DIANE'S GONE!"

The fairy king panicked, his arms flailing as he floated about. Left and right, left and right he went, screaming about how the giantess had disappeared without a single trace. "King, calm down a bit, would you?" Guienevere told him with a sigh. And the fairy king bumped onto a wall, forcing him to sit still as Merlin's magic enclosed him inside a Perfect Cube.

With the remainder of the Sins gathered, they began to discuss the little problem in their hands. Although her memory was still unclear, Gwen was fairly sure she had been with Meliodas since he began searching for his own team of Holy Knights. And like Meliodas, she was certain that there was no other place Diane could have gone to.

The princess of Cameliard watched as the Captain ran off with Elizabeth, Hawk and King, in search of their lost comrade, before she approached Gowther who had fallen after being brutally attacked by Chastiefol due to King's rage. "Taking something a person considers precious... It's theft, Gowther. Despite your given ability, to mess with people's memories just to satisfy your lust for answers is simply wrong." The Goat's Sin of Lust only stared back at her with the unwavering unfazed gaze. It would be trouble to make Gowther understand, and fulfilling his lust for answers would most likely take forever. Besides, there is Arthur, and the kingdom that she should prioritize.

* * *

Arthur pouted at his desk in the study, staring at the wall before him (and that fine portrait of the princess hanging on it) with a bothered expression drawn all over his face. "Why, of course it would worry her," said Merlin, whose form stood by the window, gazing at the scenery on the other side. "After witnessing the strength of a Ten Commandment, anyone would be worried for the well-being of Sir Captain and the others."

Finally, the boy picked up the book that had long been resting above his desk. "But if it is Sir Meliodas, he can win over anything," he reasoned out to his teacher.

"Arthur, have you forgotten about what you have learned from Geography?"

"I haven't. I could recite to you all significant places over Britannia if you wish."

"But you seem to forget that Sir Captain's destination lies past Edinburgh, where we suspect the Ten Commandments are."

The king flinched, not wanting to remember the terrible sight his own eyes had witnessed. Against one, they lost. Against ten? He could only heave a helpless sigh. Why is he so useless? What is the good of a jeweled crown and a mighty sword if he is of no use to the people who had helped him and his kingdom? "But I suggest you insist that she must not follow the Captain and the others to Edinburgh and past. I believe the Captain himself would say so too. Once I heard him say that it wouldn't be good for Lilith - Gwen to meet **him**."

"Him?" He had no idea how long had Guinevere been living but Arthur had long accepted the fact that he may not be the first person she ever loved. Still, the idea of having a new rival (even if he has so many already) made the young king frown.

"One of the Commandments, I assume, but I can't entirely be sure. Amongst the Seven, only the Captain knows of the Eighth Deadly Sin well." Wait, does this put his marriage with Gwen in grave danger?! He can't- He can't- He can't- HE **CAN'T** LOSE!

Merlin smirked, knowing how his student was already internally panicking with only a few right words. "Ah, there. That kind of expression should make Guinevere let out even a hearty laugh."

"W-What...?" Arthur stared at the sorceress in confusion, but soon brought his eyes back to the book, eventually placing it down. "A-Anyway... I'll go see Gwen."

What could have Merlin meant by that? An expression that would make Guinevere laugh? He never really bothered with it before since Gwen was an all-smiles type of person, and seeing her as worried as she is now was a rare occasion. His study had quite a distance from the princess' room, so Arthur had plenty of time to think of an idea to at least cheer her up. He was only a hall away when he had finally come up with something, and in excitement, he ran to her room and burst open the door. "Gwen!"

What met him were the surprised eyes of Guinevere, who was reddening as blood rushed up her face. Time seemed to have stopped as both of them stared at each other in great shock. The next thing he knew, black flames came surging towards him, causing him to fly backwards. He wiped the blood under his nose as he sat up. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He told her repeatedly.

"I don't care if you're a king or not: KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING!" And the large doors of Guinevere's room went tightly shut before his face and his still bleeding nose. "Gwen, I'm sorry, really! I didn't mean to! Come on!" He called out. "Trust me! I didn't mean to bust in!" But no matter how hard he banged his fists against the doors, Guinevere refused to open them, much less talk to him. Did he made her furious? Well, of course, any woman caught in that state would be mad. But she was being unreasonable, not listening to him at all!

Although it really was his fault. And she has every royal right to be angry. "But I didn't know you just finished bath!" He reasoned out in a tone so desperate to be forgiven. "Really!"

* * *

**Author:** Sorry for the late update! I gotta rewatch NNT again to get a hold of all their characters so they don't get OOC here.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author: **_LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG _time no update! HAHAHAHAHAH! Sorry for that! Lots of things had come up and I kinda lost a bit of that NNT vibe but hey, I'm back, I think! XD Lovelots~

Rate and review would surely help an author grow!

* * *

"They hadn't gone down," noted Meliodas, looking up at the ceiling of his bar, the Boar Hat. "None had spoken a word to us either." His usual expression with big, round green eyes was drawn on his face as the words came out, before he shifted his gaze towards Aldan, the blue orb forming the figure of the sorceress Merlin. He was obviously waiting for an explanation regarding their two comrades' behaviours, as Arthur was not the type to gloom in the midst of an adventure. "Something happened?"

The usual smirk was plastered on the face of Merlin. "Well, Arthur did mention something about him angering Lady Guinevere and a thing or two about undergarments."

"Undergarments?"

"Which reminds me, Arthur did have a bleeding nose before we left the kingdom," said Gowther with his never-fazed expression.

"Undergarments, huh?"

Hawk's eyes glared at Meliodas, as he oinked at the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins. "Don't tell me you still haven't gotten enough of harrassing Elizabeth? Princess Guinevere is gonna be married to King Arthur so don't try anything funny." With only one hand, Meliodas smacked the pig's head, causing the latter to groan and scream in pain. "I'm really tempted to make a pork meal out of you."

They journey went on towards Ishtar, the lands of the Druids, where Merlin claims she had kept the powers of the Dragon's Sin of Wrath.

Although they were long acquainted with the heads of the Druids, Guinevere could not find peace in herself, as she paced back and forth inside the Captain's room, completely ignoring King Arthur who was seated on a chair inside as well. Things had only gone worse for him, for after he had failed Merlin during the battle woth Galan, he had angered Guinevere, who refused to talk to him no matter what he said. Her hair had also reverted back to black, no longer having red roses clumped on them, and her eyes were ruby red.

He really didn't mean to burst into his room. It was only that excitement took the best of him, completely emptying his mind. It wasn't of his intention to peek at her while changing clothes! "What are you so worried about, Gwen?" He dared to ask, lifting his head a bit to gaze at her figure. "You've been restless."

"Do you think..." Hearing that from her, the young Pendragon thought that she was going to snap at him again. "... The Druids forgive and forget?"

* * *

"It's been a long while, no, Lilith?" Jenna flashed the nephalem a bright grin, as the two of them, along with some of the Deadly Sins and Arthur, stood in front of the Druids' training cave. An addition to their little team were Hendrickson, Gilthunder, Howzer and Griamore. "When was the last time you stepped in there?"

Guinevere responded with a faint smile, eyeing the cave. "Ten or eleven years?" She said, an index finger mindlessly tapping her chin, as she recalled fond memories. Before the framing of the Sins, she was a frequent visitor of the Druids, often training with them. Indeed, it had been quite long. "It's about time to try it again."

Taking that as a GO signal, the older Druid turned back to everyone and announced: "Alright. You all want to grow stronger, don't you? Might as well start taking out all those chunk of armor and leaving behind all of your weapons, before entering the cave." The nephalem obediently complied, beginning to strip herself off the frilly and well-decorated dress she wore. The fabric gently slipped off her shoulders, as the others watched, struck in shock.

Arthur immediately panicked, and at the same time wondered why she was doing so nonchalantly in such a place. Quickly, he threw his arms around her, hugging her tight. "W-What are you doing?!" He asked.

Guinevere kept a straight face. "Preparing for training," and afterwards, she frowned at the king. "And please, Your Majesty, watch where you're putting your hands." Both pairs of eyes stared down at the young king's digits, squinting. Arthur nearly stumbled backwards as he retreated. By that time, everyone had prepared for entering the cave, the boys dressed in nothing but their pants. "I'll go in last," Gwen volunteered. Arthurstared at her in utter confusion, eyeing the figure that was now dressed in a black tube top and shorts.

The next thing the king new, he was being pushed into the entrance of the cave by the Druid, the bright sunlight disappearing into darkness. Gowther, the Goat's Sin of Lust, stood next to him. "Let's do our best, Arthur."

* * *

He was worried. **Very worried. **The king anxiously watched from Jenna's magic ball as the billions of goddess ambers unfold before Guinevere, as if they were stars. The princess had braved the training ground on her own, while them, who had gone in pairs, barely made it out alive. "Which one do you want?" asked the Druid, an amused smile drawn across her face, almost saying that she had known the answer before she had even asked.

From the projection, Gwen lifted a hand, and every single goddess amber broke, filling the entire ball with nothing but black aura.

"A-All of them?!" Arthur asked in astonishment. "Wouldn't that be dangerous?!" He shifted his panicking gaze from Jenna to Merlin.

His mentor only smirked. "You're not quite used to this, aren't you, Arthur?"

Jenna was exasperated. "There's so many of them. I can't clearly see her. She's boasting that enormous power again." She turned her attention back to her orb. "Make sure not to make the entire cave collapse this time, okay?"

"Alright," Guinevere's voice rose in the midst of all the roars and thunderous noises. "I'll try." And afterwards, the other end was silent. Arthur's purple eyes turned to Merlin, and he parted his lips to speak, "How strong is all of her enemies in total?" To the Seven Deadly Sins and Jenna, everything seemed to be a normal occurence; like Gwen taking an entire army of monsters is normal. It's not! Not to him! Aldan glowed bright blue in Merlin's excitement, her playful golden eyes stared down at Arthur. "Well, about the strength of one or two Deadly Sins. Not all were released from their ambers; only the strongest of the demons sealed within."

Everyone's mouth hang open.

Guinevere leaped to mid-air, barely escaping the fiery breath of a tyrant dragon. With the stick in her hand, she thrust it toward at the grotesque-looking demon to her right. Flames as black as the night erupted from the end of the stick, impaling the monster through. More blood splattered to every direction as she dragged herself down, cutting through the being's insides. Every other enemy backed away upon the princess landing on her feet. And there were a series of exploding noises.

The little critter atop Arthur's head shifted slightly, trying to make itself comfortable, as a rather nerving aura seeped through the air. The Holy Knights shivered ever so slightly, the very same aura finally reaching their attention.

"What is this...?" asked Gilthunder. "The air had suddenly gotten heavy." Little Griamore continued to cry in Slader's arms. Everyone's shoulders slumped and they sighed.

Howzer's face was forlorn. "Do we... even stand a chance against the Demon Clan...?" And then he paused, realizing what on Earth had he just asked. "... What...?"

"The power of Despair affects all," Merlin said. "Even those who claim to be strongest could not escape the feeling of hopelessness. It is the sadness deeply setting in the hearts of everyone, slowly building up and breaking whatever faith and hope one holds. Despair will crush you from the inside, devouring every bit of hope you have, until you are no longer willing to do anything at all. It drives one to the point of giving up." But neither the Deadly Sins nor Jenna appeared to be affected. "We had been through this a million times in the past. Lilith emits the aura of Despair during battle, one thing she doesn't even know of, and it seeps through everyone around her, allies and foes alike. After all, the feeling of despair had always been there, waiting for awakening."

Now he understood why he had that sudden urge and desire to just give up. To just return to his kingdom and rule Camelot until the Ten Commandments dominate Britannia. Until there is nothing left of their land. With the Demons' power, do they really stand a chance? It took all five seal away the Ten Commandments, and the Goddess Clan are out of reach. How would they save the country? How would he, a powerless king, be of help? How would he-

"Done," a familiar voice registered to his ears, and everything was filled with butterflies and flowers. He turned to see Guinevere - the real Guinevere, with blond hair and blue eyes - standing next to him, **smiling. **"Gwen!" He cried in joy, throwing his arms excitedly around the princess. "You're safe!"

"What do you take me for, Arthur? I am the Eighth Deadly Sin. The Raven's Despair."

"Looks like..." Jenna spoke, apologozing for the interrupted reunion. "... I'd have to give back what you asked me to throw away." A flick of her hand and a vial appeared, so small it was almost the size of her thumb. Inside, a black fluid sloshed at the every shake from the Druid. Eyes squinted to examine the vial and what was inside. There even rose questions from the crowd. "This..." Jenna flashed everyone a grin. "... is the very little of what is left from the nephalem's true power. Truth be told, it was bigger than Meliodas' that we had to resort in disposing almost every bit of it."

Howzer, being a jerk that he was, snatched the vial from her hand, tossing it in the air as he laughed lightly. "How can this improve one though? In comparison to Meliodas', it's only a pinch." Jenna smacked him on the head with her staff.

"Don't be such a fool!" She scolded him. "If that bottle breaks, that little pinch of magic can devour the entire planet!" The Druid took back what was stolen from her, and went on to explain further. "It might not look much, but if unreleased in improper manner, it will swallow anything and everything in its wake - no exception." Giving the vial one final gaze, Jenna threw it to Guinevere's direction, much to everyone's shock, and upon gaining possession of the flask, the princess broke it with one bare hand.

The fluid once held inside the flask dripped down from her hand, trailing past her wrist and into the ground. "I-It got on the ground..." mumbled Arthur, completely confused and shocked. Did Guinevere really just broke the bottle and let all those dangerous liquid onto Earth? Did she really just began a devouring apocalypse? What will happen to their planned wedding?! And he even thought names for their future offsprings!

"Oh, the fluid was nothing."

"WHAT?!"

Out of curiousity, Arthur turned to Hawk and leaned down to whisper, "Sir Hawk, what is Gwen's current power level now?" The pig squinted its eyes, studying the princess carefully, as if the numbers he was seeing were constantly changing.

"Eight!" He finally blurted out. "Eight...?" And he stepped closer to the nephalem for another examination.

"Eighty thousand? Eight hundred thousand?"

The little talking pig fainted.


End file.
